Happiness cannot be bought – it is something that comes from within. If you are in pursuit and purchase of newest electronic gadgets just because they will bring you lasting happiness then you are wrong. Buying a new item does bring happiness, but that is temporary in nature and hardly lasts longer than few days.

In the words of Adyashanti, a spiritual leader, “When we make a purchase and/or get what we want, we are temporarily happy and fulfilled. But the reason for happiness is not because we got what we wanted, but because for a brief period of time, we stopped wanting, and thus we experience peace and happiness.”

Here are four reasons why buying the newest electronic gadgets does not give us permanent happiness.

1. The day you buy something, the very next day there is a new model with better features and most of the time you keep wondering that your timing was not right. The reality is that it is not about timing, but about the pace with which technology keeps changing. Any latest electronic gadget bought today gets obsolete in a short span of time always leaving you wanting for a new one.

2. Normally, when we buy a gadget we think that it will make life easier for us, but most of the time it adds worry to our lives in a different manner. It does ease up some of our tasks, but then we spend our time and energy worrying about its maintenance and upkeep. The gadget needs to be cleaned and organised, and such distractions steal away the sense of happiness.

3. Most people buy expensive gadgets just to impress their peers and show off in their social circles. If they find that people are not impressed then their happiness just evaporates. Also, if someone else in their circles of influence gets a better one then the whole purpose of buying gets lost. And this someone always exists.

4. Shopping can never lead to contentment, which is an inbuilt trait. The more you shop, the more is available for shopping as it is a never-ending cycle.

If you are buying the gadget because you genuinely need it then you will feel happy for a while. But, if you are the one who is searching for happiness in possessions or buying to satisfy your ego or to show off then you are on the wrong path. If happiness could be found in buying stuff, then the rich would never be unhappy.